A variety of shelves have been used inside display cases for the purpose of displaying any number of different items. However, problems are encountered in illuminating such items and drawing attention to the display.
When items are positioned on shelving near the light sources in a display case, undesirable glare or excessively bright regions are formed about the items. This localized area of illumination adversely affects the ability to more uniformly illuminate all products at the front of the shelf. Moreover, glare is a source of distraction that diverts the attention of a viewer or consumer away from a displayed item.
Another common distraction to a consumer or viewer is the heightened contrast created by the uneven amount of illumination across a display case shelf when lighting is located near the ends of the shelves. When viewing a series of adjacent display cases, the alternating high and low intensity lighting across the display case shelving is both distracting and projects an image of non-uniformity. This uneven effect is particularly undesirable.
Problems are also encountered when horizontal fluorescent tubes are mounted inside a display case, and used to light the interior of the case. Some products located inside the case may not be sufficiently illuminated, because these products are located too far away from the light source.